


Everybody Lies

by Carebee



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-09
Updated: 2013-11-09
Packaged: 2017-12-31 23:18:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1037576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carebee/pseuds/Carebee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story of Harry and Louis trying to cope with the lies that have taken over their lives, and their eventual 'Fuck You' to management.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everybody Lies

**Author's Note:**

> Major, extreme fluff at the end. That's all I have to say.

            Harry remembers the day he and Louis first came out to the boys.  Niall claimed he’d known all along, Zayn had offered them both hugs and congratulations, and Liam had told them they’d have to tell management eventually.  So they did.

            The lying truly began after that.

Harry hated lying to the fans more than anything in the world.  They were the only reason he’s made it this far, and he loved them all, even the crazy ones who follow them around.  Even though some of them can be insane, when it comes down to it, he still owed them everything.

But when Harry and Louis finally told management, all the boys could tell they were furious.  They knew their management team well by now, and they could all tell that their smiles and words of encouragement were fake.  Harry Magee had requested a private meeting with just Harry and Louis the next day, and they went in together, hand-in-hand.

            Of course, management had insisted that Harry and Louis keep their relationship hidden from everyone else.  Not even their families could know, in the fear that a tabloid would buy the information from them.  Louis was pissed enough for the both of them, and he had screamed at Simon for well over an hour, before he waved them out of the room with quiet sigh.  Harry had to sit in the hallway with Louis shaking in his arms for another hour before they were even able to leave the building.

 

            “So boys, the fans have a name for you two: Larry Stylinson?”

            “Yeah, yeah they do,” Louis answered, staring at the table.  Harry reached under the table an intertwined their fingers, making sure the camera wouldn’t see.  He squeezed three times, which was their code for ‘I love you.’  It was especially useful for times like this, when they couldn’t actually say it aloud.

            “What do you guys think about that?”  Louis sighed and shrugged, trying to play it off as if he didn’t care.  Harry could see right past it, but he knew that it would easily convince anyone who didn’t know Louis the way he did.

            “It’s a bit odd, to be honest.  I mean, Harry and I are just really close friends.”  Niall reached over and patted Harry’s back supportively.  He knew Louis didn’t mean it, but even so, the words still hurt.

            “Yeah, I mean, they write some pretty graphic fanfictions, and they put us in all different situations and stuff.  It’s quite weird,” Harry explained. His voice was obviously strained, but he hoped that it wasn’t obvious enough that the interviewer would pick up on it.  Liam’s worried stare burned into his back, but he kept his eye firmly on the interviewer to keep from breaking down.  Thankfully, the interviewer moved off of the topic, and Harry was able to breathe again.

           

            They were at a signing the next time someone asked.  It was a girl, with brown hair, soft brown eyes, and she was one of the only girls here who wasn’t completely mental. 

            “Hey Harry?  Are you and Louis dating?”  Harry looked up sharply from the picture he was signing, and his breath caught in his throat.  Louis looked over from the other side of the table and Harry caught his eyes for one second before he had the courage to respond.

            “Course not, love.  Where did you get that idea?”  Harry saw the girl’s face fall, and he forced himself to smile and move on to the next girl.  Lying to thousands of girl over the internet was one thing, but lying to one when she was right in front of him was near impossible.

            When Harry’s mum called later that night and asked about Louis, Harry just told her he was fine.   And if Louis had to hold Harry while he cried well into the night, she didn’t have to know about it.

           

            “Lou, do you ever wish we weren’t in a band?” Harry asked, looking up at his boyfriend.

            “Why would I, Hazza?”

            “Because if we weren’t in a band, we wouldn’t have to hide all the time.  We could just be together, and it wouldn’t matter,” Harry said.  Louis put down his phone, and leaned his head against Harry’s, sighing.

            “But then we might never have met each other.”

            “We wouldn’t have to lie all the time though.”  Louis closed his eyes and listened to the slow beating of Harry’s heart.

            “I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else, Harry. You and the boys are worth it all.”  Harry curled tighter into Louis’ side, and they were both quiet for a moment.  Harry knew Louis was right.  If being with Louis meant he had to lie, than he would do it in a heartbeat.

 

            Harry lasted two more years pretending he and Louis were nothing more than friends.  Louis would go out with Eleanor about once a week, and Harry would go out to clubs and find random girls he could take home, only to put them to sleep on his couch when they got there.  Most of them were beyond confused when they woke up, but Harry just made them breakfast and sent them on their way without saying a word.

            It was incredibly hard for both of them.  Louis would often break down after getting off the phone with his mother, because even she didn’t know the truth.  Jay was Louis’ best friend, and being unable to tell her something that made him so happy was tearing him apart.  Louis never took out his anger on Harry, but every once in a while, one of the other boys would end up on the other end of a snapped string.

Harry’s breakdowns usually came when he got an extensive amount of hate on Twitter for sleeping with too many women.  Louis tried to calm him down with sweet words, but Harry was just too sensitive to the things people said about him, and he only wanted their approval.  One particularly bad moment came when Harry called his mother to tell her that they were going to be doing a world tour.

_“Mum?”_

_“H!  How’ve you been?”_

_“Great, mum.  I have something to tell you!” Harry exclaimed, grinning.  He was more than ready to spout out the exciting news when his mother finally responded._

_“Did you get a girl pregnant, Harry?”_

Harry had been off for days, because even his mum believed the rumors about him in the tabloids.  Louis tried to comfort him, but there wasn’t much he could do other than offer his support.  It was one thing if a bunch of strangers thought you were sleeping around, but if your own mum believed it…

 

In the end, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Louis was furious that they had allowed such a thing to happen, and he realized that his mum probably truly believed that he was in love with Eleanor.

“I can’t let my mum believe I’m a _manwhore_ , Lou.  I’ve got to tell her.”  He reached for his phone, but Louis put a hand on his as if to stop him.  Harry pulled his hand away from Louis’ and furrowed his eyebrows.

            “Haz,” Louis started, but Harry cut him off.

            “Don’t tell me not to, Louis!  I just can’t do this anymore!”  Louis shook his head and pulled Harry’s head into his chest.

            “I wasn’t going to stop you, H, I was just going to suggest that the two of us tell her in person.”  Harry seemed to light up like a Christmas tree after that, and he placed kisses all over Louis’ face.

            “You’re the best, Lou,” Harry praised, grinning madly.

            “I know.”

 

            The two of them drove to Cheshire a few hours later, with the agreement that they’d go to Doncaster right afterward so that Louis could tell his mum as well.  On the way there, they both told pointless stories from their childhoods, and Harry promised to ask Jay to get out the baby pictures.

            When they reached Harry’s childhood home three hours later, Harry was rubbing the back of his neck viciously.  Louis made to step out of the car, but then he realized Harry wasn’t following, and he got back in.

            “Harry?”

            “God, Lou, what if she doesn’t approve?  I don’t think I could handle not having my mother’s support.  Fuck.”  Louis leaned over so he could pull Harry closer to his chest.

            “H, it’ll work out.  And if it doesn’t, my mum will support you as if you were her own.  And I’ll always be here,” Louis said, his voice stern and unwavering.  Harry nodded mutely, but he didn’t seem totally convinced.  Louis’ heart softened, and pressed a soft kiss to Harry’s forehead.

            “I can’t lose her, Lou.”

            “You won’t.  She wouldn’t do that to you.”  Harry nodded and blinked away the few tears that were forming in his eyes.  “She loves you more than anything else in the world; she’s not going to hate you because you’re happy.”

            “Okay.  Let’s go inside.  But remember, don’t say anything until dinner,” Harry said.  Louis nodded without even thinking about it, because they’d gone over every last detail of their visit a million times.  It made Harry feel a lot better if he knew exactly what he was doing and Louis would do anything to make Harry feel better.

            The two of them walked up to the door, hand-in-hand, and Louis reached up with his free hand to knock.  He squeezed Harry, and then there was Anne, all bright eyes and warm smiles.  Before Louis even knew what was happening, he and Harry were both wrapped in a tight hug.

            “Harry!  Louis!” she squealed.  Louis gave Harry one last squeeze before he let go of his boyfriend’s hand, and instead wrapped both arms around Anne.  She was pretty much a second mother to him, and it had been an incredibly long time since he’d seen her.

            “Mum!  I’ve missed you,” Harry exclaimed, wrapping his long arms around his mother.  Anne’s face was almost bursting with a proud smile, and Louis knew in that moment that Anne would accept their relationship without question.  He could read it in her eyes and in her smile how much she loved her son, and Louis knew she wouldn’t give him up for the world.

           

            The afternoon passed in quite a blur, though he could tell Harry was anxious and on edge.  He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes, and he was sure Anne could tell.  Gemma seemed to notice something was off as well, but she didn’t say anything, and Louis was grateful.

            Dinner came around before he knew it, and the five of them were all seated around the table, Anne and Robin at either end, Louis and Harry on one side, and Gemma on the other.

            “How’ve things been down in London?  All we’ve talked about since you’ve arrived is me, and I’m not the pop star,” Anne joked.  Harry smiled thinly, and Louis reached over to grab his hand.  Harry looked up and their eyes locked for one quick second, and Louis knew it was time.

            “Well actually, I- we- have an announcement,” Louis said simply, allowing Harry to jump in to make the actual announcement.  Harry looked over at him for a split second for the courage he needed, and then he started to speak.

            “Louis and I are in a relationship.”  There was a moment of silence as Harry’s family absorbed the news, and Harry’s grip on Louis’ hand grew increasingly tighter with each passing second.  It was Gemma who spoke first, but only after her face almost split in half because of her massive grin.

            “Finally!  You two have been making star eyes at each for way too long.  Look- there were some right there,” Gemma pointed out, staring pointedly at Harry.  He blushed and stared at the ground in embarrassment, and Louis stared at him fondly.

            “How long have you two been together, H?” Anne asked, her silence finally broken.

            “It’s been just over two years, mum.”  It wasn’t so much the fact that they were dating, but the length that came as a shock.  Gemma’s mouth dropped open, and Louis heard Anne’s sharp intake of breath.  Robin just sat in silence, staring at them both with solemn eyes.

            “I’m sorry.  I can’t help it that I love him.  I mean I truly, properly love him, mum.  I imagine myself marrying him and raising a family with him and if you can’t accept that than I’m sorry.”  He was rambling, but Louis didn’t particularly care because he was struck by an overwhelming burst of love.  He felt exactly the same way, but they’d never talked about kids and marriage and their _future._  When he looked up, Gemma was staring at him pointedly, as if she was trying to dissect his emotions.  Louis shuddered and looked away.

            “God, H, I still love you the same, no matter what.  I just- why didn’t you tell me earlier?”  Harry’s head dropped down so he stared at his lap, and he was obviously distressed.  Louis could tell he wouldn’t be able to manage this part of the story, so he picked up where Harry left off.

            “It was written in our contracts in invisible ink that management can basically control everything we do.  When we came out to them and the boys, they told us we weren’t allowed to tell anyone else, not even our families.  I think they thought that some journalist would be able to buy you out or whatever.  It’s stupid really.  And that’s why I go out with Eleanor at least once a week, and why Harry has to pretend that he sleeps with all those girls.  He’s too sweet for his own good really, because he just puts them to sleep on the couch and feeds them breakfast in the morning, as if they’re his friends.

            “But when you thought he’d gotten a girl pregnant, he sort of snapped, I guess.  He couldn’t keep it from you anymore.  Well, we really.  I plan on telling my mum and sisters as soon as I can make it there,” Louis explained.  Harry stared at him as he told the story, and when he finished, Harry looked over to judge his mother’s reaction.

            “They do that to you?” Robin asked, his voice thick.

            “Yeah,” Harry muttered.

            “Bastards.  Why don’t you switch managements or something?”  Gemma cursed. Anne shot her daughter a glare for cursing, but Gemma just ignored it.

            “We were going to, but then we realized that it was probably best, I guess.  If it was just me and Lou in the band, then yeah we’d switch, of course, but we have Liam and Niall and Zayn to think about.”

            “Oh, H,” Anne cooed.  She stood up and walked around the table to wrap her arms around her son.  Louis watched for a few seconds before Anne pulled him into the hug.  A few seconds later, Gemma and Robin had their arms around the boys as well, and Louis only had to look at Harry’s face to see how happy he was. 

 

            The next stop was Louis’ house.  His mother already knew he was gay, it was just the matter of explaining to her why they had been dating for over two years without telling her.  Louis knew she wouldn’t be happy, but she’d live.

            Harry gave him similar reassurances when they were standing outside the door, and Louis rewarded him with a chaste kiss just before the door swung open.

            “Harry!” The twins squealed, jumping up into his arms.  Harry caught them both easily, and his smile was almost blinding.

            “Hey girls.  How’ve you been?”

            “Fantastic, Harry!  But it’s no fun playing princess without you!” Harry laughed and Louis’ heart jumped in his chest.  He was so happy that his boyfriend was not only the best boyfriend ever, but he also got along with Louis’ family almost better than Louis did.

            “Hey girls, did you just forget about your dear old brother?” Louis asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.  They giggled and jumped out of Harry’s arms to hug him.

            “Hey Lou!  I just saw Harry first because he’s taller,” Daisy explained.  Phoebe nodded eagerly and Louis pouted.

            “That’s not fair!” he exclaimed, feigning hurt.  Daisy shrugged and looked over at Harry.

            “He plays with us more, too.”  Before Louis had a chance to respond, his other two sisters were on him, hugging him so tightly he almost couldn’t breathe.

            “At least two of my sisters love me,” Louis huffed. “Hey Lottie and Fizz.”

            “We do to love you!” Daisy screeched, tugging gently on Louis’ pants.  Louis ignored her, and turned to his mother, who was standing in the doorway with a smile on her face.  Louis made his way over to her while Lottie and Fizz were saying hello to Harry, and he almost fell into his mother’s arms in relief.  He was, after all, a mumma’s boy, and it had been way too long since he’d seen his mum.

            “’ello mum,” he said, wrapping her into a tight hug.

            “God, Boobear, it’s like you get older every time I see you.  I can already tell you’re more mature than last time.”  Louis laughed and shook his head.

            “Not really.  I might be a bit less mature honestly, with the boys I hang around with.”  He winked at Harry, who just laughed gleefully and turned back to his conversation with Louis’ sisters.

            “Come in boys, really.”  Harry and Louis followed Jay into the house, the girls hot on their heels.  Harry and Lottie already seemed to be in the middle of a deep conversation about Lottie’s friends at school, and Louis just smiled fondly and shook his head.  Harry would make a fabulous father, when the time came.

           

            Similarly to Harry’s house, they decided to tell Jay over dinner.  Dan was away for work and Louis was glad.  He didn’t really know Dan that well yet, and he wasn’t exactly ready to tell him he was gay and in a steady relationship.

            Harry looked over at Louis and shrugged, as if asking if Louis was ready yet.  Louis nodded subtly, and Harry set his napkin on the table, preparing himself.

            “We actually have an announcement, Jay.”  Louis’ mum looked up from her plate and raised an eyebrow, motioning for them to continue.  Harry shot Louis a look, and he picked up where Harry left off.

            “Well, Harry and I are together.”  A strange squeak escaped Lottie’s mouth, and she turned bright red.  Daisy and Phoebe, just old enough to understand, clapped excitedly, and Felicite’s face broke out into a bright grin.  Jay smiled fondly put her hand on Louis’ shoulder.

            “I knew it.  You two are just too perfect together.  How long has it been then?”  Louis grasped Harry’s hand underneath the table.

            “Just over two years, mum.”  Lottie’s eyes bulged out of her head, and she threw a piece of broccoli right at Louis’ face.

            “I can’t believe you kept this from me!  You are a horrible brother!”  Louis snorted and picked the piece of broccoli out of his hair.  Jay still hadn’t said anything, but she was staring at them with narrowed eyes.

            “Sorry Lots.”

            “Does this have something to do with management?”  Jay asked.  All of them turned to look at her, and Harry nodded somberly, squeezing Louis’ hand tighter.  Jay nodded, and stared down at her plate.

            “I knew something like this would happen.  There can’t be this much good without something bad.  What did they do exactly?” she asked.  Even Daisy and Phoebe seemed to understand that this was important, and they stayed quiet while waiting for the answer.

            “Well, I mean, when we told them originally, it was only because Liam told us we should.  Management told us that we couldn’t tell anyone, not even you all.  It was okay for a while, because obviously Harry was there to comfort me and stuff, but eventually it became too much for the both of us.  We just told Anne, and then we came right here.”  Daisy and Lottie both ran over and climbed into their laps, Daisy on Harry and Phoebe on Louis.  Daisy wrapped her little arms around Harry’s waist, and he had to blink back tears.  He couldn’t imagine having a better support system back home, even though they weren’t even his family.

            “You can’t let them control you, boys.”

            “But we signed a contract, mum.  It’s only in effect until this December, and then we plan on switching, I swear.   I’m sorry.”  Jay shook her head and pulled Louis into her chest.

            “No darling.  I wish you could’ve told me, but I’m not mad.  I’m happy for you actually, because Harry is quite a catch.”  Harry laughed and turned Daisy in his lap so she could be more comfortable.

            “I’m not as much of a catch as he is, Jay.”  Lottie cooed from across the table, and Jay just smiled fondly at him.  Harry was about to say something else when Daisy leaned up to ask him a question.

            “Will you play princess with us, Harry?”  Harry laughed and lifted Daisy off him so he could stand.

            “Course, love.  Let me just help your mum clean up, and then we can play.”  Phoebe jumped off Louis’ laugh and shouted in joy, and the two of them ran out of the room to get their dresses.

            “Go on, dear.  Louis and I can clean up,” Jay said, waving Harry away.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yes.  Go on and entertain my daughters if you want.”  Harry grinned and ran out of the room after the twins.  Lottie and Felicite both excused themselves from the table to go up to play as well, though Lottie was probably just going to watch and make fun of Harry for adorning a tiara.

            “Grab a few plates and come on into the kitchen with me, Lou.”

            “Course, mum.”  He grabbed the two closest plates, which just happened to be his and Harry’s, and followed his mum into the kitchen.  They brought all of the dishes into the kitchen before they began cleaning them, the way they always used to before he’d moved away.  As soon as all the plates were on the counter, Louis took his place at the sink to rinse before Jay put the dishes in the dishwasher.

            “Tell me about him, Lou.  Through your eyes,” she said, putting the first cup on the top shelf.

            “What do you mean?”

            “I want you to tell me about him as if I hadn’t met him yet, and you were describing him across the phone.  Don’t hold back on me.”  Louis was still confused, but he gave her the next cup and started to talk anyway.

            “Well, he’s really amazing.  He’s got this like glow around him, and you can feel it just by being around him.  It’s like looking into a lighthouse when you look into his eyes, because they’re so bright and warm and there’s honestly nothing better than it.  He’s really kind and sweet and he will go out of his way to do things for people, just because he can.  The women he supposedly sleeps with for example.  He just takes them home and puts them to sleep, and he makes them breakfast in the morning and everything.

            “He’s so good with the twins, you know, because he cares about what they have to say and he will do anything to make them happy.  I’ve never met anyone who’s ever properly met him who hasn’t loved him right away.  He can be immature sometimes, but it’s just really endearing, and it’s really hard to explain.

            “He cares way too much about what people say about him, and he focuses on all the bad things, rather than all the good.  He doesn’t realize how great he is, honestly, and it just makes me want to slap him sometimes because he’s so hard on himself.  The people who hate him have absolutely no reason, and they don’t even know him.

            “But I love him a lot and I really don’t think this is like a short-term thing.  Well, I mean, obviously since we’ve been dating for two years.  I think we’re both ready to go public with it, but we can’t right now, so.  That’s probably more than you wanted, but like, I can’t describe him in a few words because he’s so complex and wonderful.”  When he looked over at his mother, she was teary-eyed, and he frowned.  “Why are you crying, mum?”

            “Because even though you’ve got this posh life traveling around the world living your dream, you also managed to do something that not many people are able to do.  You’ve found your soul mate, Lou.”  She sniffed, and Louis pulled her into his chest, ignoring the water that was probably all over his hands.  They stayed there like that for just a minute, before Jay pulled back.

            “God, mum.  You’re going to make me cry too.”

            “You should cry Lou, because Harry is one in a billion and you’ve found him.”

            “I know, mum, I know.”

 

            When Louis left the kitchen a minute later to go find Lottie, Harry was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed.  Louis hesitantly touched his arm, and Harry’s eyes shot open.

            “What’s wrong, H?”

            “Did you mean it?  Everything you said to your mum.” Louis’ eyes softened, and he nodded slightly.  Before he could even think of something to say, Harry had him pressed against the wall, and their lips were connected in a mess of love and tears, and Louis could feel that Harry was trying to tell him that he was wonderful too, and that he loved him just as much

            “Marry me, Lou.” Harry murmured in between kisses, his forehead resting against Louis’.  Louis’ breath caught in his throat, and his eyes widened.

            “Are you serious?”

            “Of course, Boo.  I may not have some kind of big romantic speech like the one you gave in there, but I love you so much, Louis, and I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone else when I’m 85 and sitting in a retirement home.  You’re the only person I’d ever want cheering me up on a bad day when I miss home, because you’re the only one that really understands me.  I mean, I think we’re ready for this.  I actually feel kind of stupid now because I don’t have a ring or anything romantic at all really, god I’m so-“ Louis wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck and kissed him, slower and more heartfelt this time, and when he pulled away, he gave his answer.

            “Fuck yes, Harry, of course.  A million times yes.”

 

            They waited until the next night to tell everyone they knew.  They’d been planning on staying the night at Louis’ family home, but they both had very important things that needed to be done to celebrate their engagement (sex, obviously), so they’d made their excuses and booked a last minute hotel room in Northwich, at some small B&B that was pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  Neither of them wanted to deal with paparazzi, afraid that their post-engagement glow would be obvious.

            Louis was practically soaring by the time they reached the B&B, and he was sure that Harry felt pretty much the same way.  They barely made it through the door before Harry was on him, lips licking and sucking at every bit of exposed skin until Louis was sure his entire neck would be purple.  He couldn’t find it in himself to care though, and he just responded by giving Harry similar markings all across his neck and collarbones.

            Louis looked up and met Harry’s eyes with his own, and he couldn’t contain his happiness

           

            The two woke up the next morning with the sun shining bright in their eyes, warming them both.  Their limbs were all tangled together in a mix of skin, sweat, and cum, but Louis didn’t want to move.  If he moved, he’d have to face the outside world, and he’d have to deal with people and their stupid expectations, the way he had every day since he sung that first note on the X Factor stage.

            Here with Harry, it was easy, because Harry only expects Louis to love him.  It’s hard not to love him, with his long limbs, his beautiful voice, and his kind heart.  Louis understood why all those girls all across the world love Harry best, because he’s wonderful.

            “You awake?” Harry whispers.

            “Yeah.  I’m awake, Haz.”  Harry rolled over onto his side and pulled Louis into his chest, purring softly into his neck.

            “I don’t want to leave, Lou.”

            “Me either, but we have to.”  Harry sighed, but didn’t say anything.  Louis rolled over and pressed his lips softly to Harry’s, and smiled fondly at him.  Even though they he had to lie about their relationship, Harry was worth it.  And anyway, everybody lies, right?


End file.
